1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an electronic apparatus operates being powered from a power supply. When receiving a supply of electric power from a power source, the electric power is supplied to the electronic apparatus through a common connector. As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and 2, as for the connector, a convex male-type plug connector and a concave female-type jack connector are coupled to each other so as to be electrically connected. Commonly, a plug connector is provided in the electronic apparatus and a device having one or more jack connectors is referred to as an outlet.
Also, recently, even for a local area power transmission, a DC high voltage power supply method, which does not require a thick cable, with low power loss in voltage conversion, in power transmission, etc., is planned to be adopted as a global warming countermeasure, and the like. In particular, such a power supply method is preferable for information processing apparatuses that consume a large amount of electric power, such as servers.
However, arc discharge may occur when cutting off the DC high voltage power supply. Heat caused by the arc discharge may harm the connector and electronic components.
Therefore, in Patent Documents 3 and 4, a method is disclosed, which extinguishes the arc discharge by a mechanical switch disposed in the connector so as to prevent adverse effects on the connector and the electronic components.
However, in a case where the mechanical switch is disposed in the connector, a size of the connector increases and a cost of the connector increases since assemblies for forming the mechanical switch are required. Also, a product life of the mechanical switch is short since the mechanical switch operates and is consumed. Hence the product life of the connector including the mechanical switch is short.